1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of content searching and more particularly to displaying search results for content searches according to multiple different search terms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Content browsing refers to the retrieval and presentation of electronic content in a browser client. Content generally can include electronic documents, messages, audio, audiovisual and video materials and imagery. Most commonly, content can be stored in a server environment and published for access by content consumers over a computer communications network such as the global Internet. Content consumers, in turn, can retrieve content over the network by reference to a network address for the content. Once retrieved, the content can be presented in a browser client including not only conventional visual browsers such as the venerable Web browser, but also in alternative browsers such as those deployed in pervasive devices and those supporting different modes of presentation such as the audible presentation of material.
Given the vast amount of content published for accessibility over the Internet, one cannot enjoy an awareness of a possible content of interest available for access over the Internet. Search engines fill the gap by providing an interface through which end users can instruct searches for documents according to one or more search terms. Basic search engines permit simple term searches where the presence of one or more search terms in content result in the return of a reference to the located content. More sophisticated search engines permit boolean searching and even more sophisticated search engines allow for natural language searching.
Where search terms are provided in a search engine, the results often reflect the relevance of a “hit” based upon a percentage of search terms present in the located content. Yet, in many cases, the search terms provided are not intended to be located in desired content. Rather, search engines frequently permit one to require the omission of any content containing a search term. In boolean terms, the NOT operation is permitted as well as the AND and OR operations. In any event, limiting the end user to providing search terms on an absolute basis of either “is present” or “is absent” reflects the reality that users in many cases lack a familiarity of particular search domain as most searches are ad hoc in nature.
Even still, from time to time users enjoy a substantial understanding of a search domain. In consequence, limiting such users to absolutes can be counterproductive. For example, when searching for content including terms A, B and C, but not D, one may recognized that the search domain of interest, relevant content must include term A, and may terms elements B and C, but should more often than not include term B in respect to term C. Further, relevant content should not include term D usually, but once in a while relevant content may include term D. Conventional search engines cannot support this type of search as a term is either included or excluded in relevant content from the perspective of the conventional search engine. Notwithstanding it would desirable to permit such users to emphasize the importance of one search term over another.